Jews have always been willing to learn from non-Jews. The Torah profiles Noach, Yisro and others. The Chumash tells of the greatness of Yisro (even before his conversion). The Sages bring Dama ben Nesina to illustrate how far we should go in honoring our parents. Nelson Mandela, the person and the leader, can teach us a lot, despite his complicated relationship with the South African
In our first essay, we discussed how knowing one’s objective and responding effectively to external threats and distractions – qualities personified by Mattisyahu – can be difference makers in our desire to inspire and advance our organizations. In this article we will seek to identify additional leadership qualities of the Chashmonaim
As a leader, you know that leadership offers great opportunities to guide and inspire others, to set the agenda and see it to fruition. However, it also can place us in compromised situations, where we feel as if we have lost control of the situation around us and need to engage in damage control. There are even times when we step into a leadership role
Today, it is a truism that Anti-Semitism's primary expression in Europe and elsewhere is in the form of Anti-Israelism. Are all anti-Israel sentiments anti-Semitic ones? What if the attitudes are coming from Jews? Is J-Street anti-Semitic?[1] Are those Jews who advocate a boycott of the territories anti-Semitic?[2]
With the World Series now set for Boston and St. Louis, baseball is on the minds of many Americans, young and old. In part I of this blog, I shared a great story about how Dr. Alvin Schiff, the famous teacher and Jewish education executive, used baseball and the World Series to teach his
The Pew study found 6.8 million American Jews[1], 25% more than the 2001 National Jewish Population Survey which found 5.2 million[2], but these are self-definitions with widely varying ideas about what it means to be Jewish. 1.3 million children
The Pew study showed that 44% of married Jews are married to a non-Jewish person and the current rate of intermarriage is 58%.[1] It is 71% if you take the Orthodox out. Two-thirds of Jews do not belong to a synagogue, one-fourth do not believe in God and one-third had a Christmas tree in their home last year.
In July, the Jewish world lost one of its greatest advocates and most accomplished pioneers. Dr. Alvin Schiff, the longtime executive vice president of the New York Board of Jewish Education, died at the age of 85. Thirteen years ago, I had the honor of learning a great deal